Switzerland
The following photos are locations to the SE of the capital which has also seen radical logging in the past few years. Many of the forests here below to the Burgergemeinde Belp which is committed to delivering 10,000 m³ of wood chips annually according to its website. Forests logged are largely deciduous, largely beech with a few ash, maple and conifers. Some of the trees are approaching 300 years old. Credit & Source: Lucie Wuethrich
The following photos were taken in the Bremgartenwald, which belongs to the Burgergemeinde Bern, literally on the outskirts of the capital, Bern. Credit & Source: Lucie Wuethrich
The following photos were taken on the Längenberg (south of Bern) in a forest close to Englisberg. It is also located within the Gantrisch Regional Nature Park and being exploited by the Burgergemeinde Bern. A lot of the wood was chipped, by Lignocalor if not by others as well. Credit & Source: Lucie Wuethrich
This is an official Swiss Nature Reserve as well as part of the EU’s Emerald Network (CH0000028 Belpau). It is being logged, supposedly to increase biodiversity, but the wood is chipped and burnt in local biomass fired heaters. Credit & Source: Lucie Wuethrich
The following photos involve trees that were felled as part of flood defences in the Gürbetal (close to the capital), chipped within the same week and taken by Lignocalor (a local wood, wood chip, & pellet company) to Bern’s Energie Zentrale Forsthaus where they burn waste (45%) and wood (36%) with rest being natural gas. We measured the moisture content at between 45-50%. Credit & Source: Lucie Wuethrich
I went to take pictures of these mobile pellet units over the weekend which are popping up here (in this case Wabern, on the outskirts of Bern). They are used to dry out new homes before the tenants move in. They describe themselves as “clean, environmentally friendly and future-proof”. They also benefit from massive subsidies as indeed do any homes, apartment blocks or businesses that switch from oil heating to woody biomass, up to 70% of the investment costs. Date: 12/12/20, Location: 46.917778, 7.466667, Credit & Source: Lucie Wuethrich
